UPDATE: WE SUCCEEDED! WE RAISED ENOUGH MONEY TO GET EW HIS ACTION TRAC CHAIR!

​

As many here already know, I like to "give back" in thanksgiving for all that I have been Blessed with. Every year around the Holidays, I attempt to find what I consider a worthy cause to get involved in in an attempt to help someone that I consider deserving of whatever help I can provide. Two years ago I headed up an event to help a disabled veteran get the repairs that his Suburban needed and then some. It turned out great and the outpouring of support from so many people and businesses for he and his family truly changed his life for the better. Last year I joined forces with @Yukon Joe, @RaptorWifeyy and others from here on the forum to help raise money for a friend of their's daughter that was in desperate need of a seizure response dog. This year hits a little closer to home for me. Learn more below.

A good friend of mine by the name of EW "Dub" Shupe lives near me in Galax Virginia. He is wheel chair bound and needs help to obtain an "Action Track Chair". His story and the other information is below. I will be offering items for raffles to help raise money for this event and will be contacting other businesses, etc to get involved in doing the same. As always, all donations at the link below are more than welcome and every little bit helps. When donating, please provide at least your forum name or that you are donating as a member of FordRaptorForum so that we can continue to show the world and EW's family how amazing the Ford Raptor community as a whole is.

Below is the GoFundMe link and I will be announcing the first raffle item within a couple of hours.

I have also attached a few pics of the type of chair that we are attempting to raise money for. The purchase price goal is $16,500 overall.

EW's story:

Referring to a man as a ‘stand up’ kind of guy is a compliment. It generally means he’s the kind of guy every respects and admires. E.W. (Dub) Shupe is certainly that kind of man.

First, he’s a true family man- a great husband and father. He is a remarkably hard working salesman at Lowes in Galax. He’s a great friend and neighbor in the Fries area. Dub is skilled horseman and mechanic. There are so many things Dub does well, but the one thing he cannot do is STAND.

E.W. mysteriously contracted an infection in his spinal fluid in 2003 that resulted in his being paralyzed from the waist down. At that point, Dub and his wife, Angela, started facing the life-long challenges together. It was his commitment and intent to maintain every aspect of life as independently as possible and his life since the paralysis reflects that commitment.

Dub works at Lowes and his wife, Angela, at Mount Rogers Community Service Board. They have a young daughter and contribute positively in every area of their lives.

But now it’s time for the communities they love and serve to help them.

Dub desperately needs to relieve the otherwise constant stress of his body weight on his back and seat. Without such relief, skin problems create constant infection and significant health risks.

There is an option. Friends are asking you to help us provide a TRACK CHAIR for Dub. This chair is visible on the internet and is designed to allow an otherwise wheelchair bound individual stand erectly. It would allow him to stand to work on a car engine or hunt – even move about his job site in a standing position – again alleviating the stress and pressure to him otherwise. The chair is produced specifically for people like Dub. It is sold in Virginia and can be purchased as soon as we have the money for it. Can you help?

A group of friends are leading this cause -- and committed to doing this for Dub as soon as possible. PLEASE join us and help as much as you can -- enlist your friends to help- spread the news.

Below is the GoFundMe link and I will be announcing the first raffle item within a couple of hours.

For those that may not be familiar with what we did in 2013, we helped a service connected disabled veteran obtain the updated servicing and a few upgrades for his Chevy Suburban. The list of what we were able to get done, sponsoring vendors and private individual donations is extremely long and the project truly made a world of difference in his life and the live's of his family. Beyond getting the work done for the truck, the FRF members that participated actually raised more than $500 cash for he and his wife to spend on Christmas for their children that year. The members of the Raptor community as a whole are truly amazing people in general and that shows through all of their generosity.

Then there is last year's event. One that touched the hearts of so many here on FRF and elsewhere. The story of little Avery Mosher is one that will warm the hearts of the most hardened of hearts. Avery has a rare form of epilepsy that causes internal seizures that can sometimes go undetected. Because of this disease, the quality of life for she and her family were greatly diminished and limited because of constant fear of seizures that might strike when they least expect them and when they may not be prepared for them or when everyone might be asleep at night. With the help of those involved, including many many members here on FRF and many sponsoring vendors here, not only did everyone step up to ensure that her family met the minimum required $12,500 to get the service dog she needed, they went much further and raised enough to cover the entire cost of the service dog! A WHOPPING $25,000!!! Avery and her family have now been living a much more stress free life since receiving their dog "Josie" and in what was done, the Ford Raptor Forum community once again proved just how amazingly generous they are!

Check out more about Avery's story and the event from last year below.

First up on the raffle item list, this item will stay up for raffle until Monday November 30th. Offered by me, it is an Apollo Optics 50" Spot beam double row light bar. To participate in this raffle, simply go to the GoFundMe link below and make a donation. PLEASE include your real name and forum username on the donation so that I can keep up with who has entered. Each raffle "ticket" for this item costs $10 so for every $10 you donate, you get 1 entry to win the light bar.

The GoFundMe was already set up by someone close to the family, I had nothing to do with that, but it works out well. Considering all donations go directly to the family without passing through myself or anyone on the forum I thought would be a good thing.